Pre-Thanksgiving day party ~ Turkey recipe & Holland House White Cooking Wine GIVEAWAY!! (Giveaway EXPIRED)
And finally I am going to share with you my turkey recipe! I am going to walk you through each step so you will know exactly how it’s done.
First let me show you my two secret weapons… shhh
That’s right, I cook my turkey in white cooking wine… and not just any white cooking wine, Holland house cooking wine! I am in love with Holland house cooking wines and I usually keep the white cooking wine on hand. Cooking the turkey in Holland House white cooking wine will give light flavor that will follow throughout your entire holiday meal.
My second secret weapon is the herb butter I use, recipe as follows:
Herb Butter
Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter
2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley (minced)
Directions
Melt butter till slightly melted, just enough you can smash it with a fork. Using a garlic press, press garlic into the butter. Next add parsley and use a fork to mix everything well.
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Ok now that you have learned my secrets lets begin prepping this turkey step by step. These directions will be based on a 20-25 pound turkey because I have never cooked anything smaller or there would be some very hungry people!
Pre-Heat oven to 450 degrees
1.) First step is to make sure the turkey is thawed. If it is frozen it usually takes about 5 days to thaw (depending on the size). Follow the directions on the turkey. Check your turkey the day before you cook it to make sure it is completely thawed. If your turkey is still slightly frozen then place the turkey in a clean sink in it’s original packaging. Fill the sink with cold water till water comes up to the half way point of the turkey then lay a dish towel on top of the turkey. Change the water every 30 – 40 minutes, until turkey is completley thawed. Then place turkey back into the fridge. (I keep my turkey in the roasting pan I use to cook it and then into the fridge, that way if it leaks it leaks in the roasting pan and not all through your fridge)
2.) Once the day has come and your turkey is thawed, unwrap it and place the turkey in a clean sink. Rinse the turkey off using cold water. When you reach inside the turkey you will find the neck, a bag of “guts”, as I call it, and sometimes they put a pack of gravy in there. I always throw the gravy and the bag of guts in the garbage, But I save the neck and put it in the pan with the turkey.
3.) Once the turkey has been rinsed, place it on an old dish towel. Next take paper towels and keep patting the turkey dry. You want the turkey to be as dry as possible. I normally use 1 whole roll of paper towels just for patting it dry. You want to use about three paper towels at once because if you use just one it will stick to the turkey, and you do not want that. Always make sure to keep things sanitary, if you touched the raw bird then touched your roll of paper towels they are no longer good to use on anything other than drying the raw bird. This is why I dedicate 1 whole roll of paper towels to my turkey, what ever I don’t use I throw away, but I normally use all of them.
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4.) Once the turkey has been patted dry. Season the bird on both sides with sea salt and pepper. I normally put my salt and pepper in little dishes that way I do not touch the salt and pepper containers after I have touched the raw bird.
5.) Using your hands rub the butter mixture all over the bird on both sides. I use all off the butter.
6.) Once you have added the butter to the turkey now it is time to put your stuffing in the bird.
Click here for my – STUFFING RECIPE
** First I want to stress that it is very very important you add your stuffing right before you put the bird in the oven. Never put your stuffing in the turkey then let it in the fridge till it’s time to cook it, I know that seems like you are saving time but it is very unsanitary and could make you and your guests sick, so lets play it safe. **
To stuff the bird grab a handful of stuffing and form it into a ball, then press it into the turkey, do as many balls of stuffing as you can. You want to press it in but do not pack it in if that makes sense? Just lightly press it into the bird till you have some stuffing peaking out.
7.) Now that the bird is prepared, pour 1 1/2 cups of water in the bottom of your roasting pan. Carefully lift turkey and place it in the roasting pan breast up and throw the neck anywhere it fits, usually I put it on the opposite side of the pan as the stuffing. Place a piece of foil over the stuffing only, so it does not burn. Cook the turkey for 40 minutes at 425 degrees.
8.) Once the 40 minutes are up turn oven temperature to 250 degrees, when the oven has reached 250 degrees take the bird out of the oven, remove foil and pour 1 1/2 cups of Holland House White Cooking Wine all around the bottom of the roasting pan.
9.) Cook the turkey at 250 degrees for about 5 hours, you will need a turkey baster to remove the juice as it fills the roasting pan. I like to keep the roasting pan at least half way full with with the broth. Once it gets past half full remove util it is half full in a separate pan, let cool and store in the fridge to use for gravy later.
10.) when there are 3 hours left in the cooking time add the bacon. To do this I place the uncooked bacon on a paper plate that has been lined with paper towels, make sure the bacon is flat. Continue to alternate bacon and paper towels until the whole pound of bacon has been prepped on the plate to microwave. You will have a few layers of bacon and paper towels. This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to cook bacon! The microwave cooks it perfectly crisp, while the layers of paper towels soak up all the grease, so that the bacon isn’t lying in a puddle of grease. And the best part? Clean up is a breeze!
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11.) Next line your turkey with the bacon. start at the back and work your way up. You will have a few extra pieces, I just run them the opposite way… the photo should be pretty self explanatory, I hope! =P
12.) Put the turkey back in the oven and continue cooking an addition 3 hours or until turkey has reached a temperature of 170 degrees F. or 77 degrees C. and the stuffing has reached a temperature of at least 165 degrees F.
13.) Take turkey out of the oven and let rest for about 15-20 minutes before carving. Make sure to tent it with a piece of foil to keep it warm while resting.
Now that you know how to make a delicious turkey lets get into the Giveaway! I am Giving away 1 bottle of Holland House White Cooking wine courtesy of Holland House to one lucky winner. I will be using Rafflecopterwhich to determine the winner. By entering this contest you agree to Terms & Conditions and Disclaimers & Disclosures
How to get 5 extra points!!: To get 5 extra points, Simply tell me one of your favorite holiday memories in the comments below and I will add them to your Rafflecopter points for more chances to win
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” //
| Prep Time | 30-40 minutes |
| Cook Time | 8-9 minutes |
| Servings |
check turkey for servings
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- 1 20-25 pound turkey (thawed)
- 1 pound bacon (uncooked)
- 1 1/2 cups Holland House White cooking Wine
- stuffing (recipe you choose)
- herb butter
- Sea Salt
- pepper
Ingredients
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- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Place turkey in a clean sink, take out gravy pack, "guts", and neck. Save the neck and discard the rest. Rinse turkey with cold water. Place turkey into an old tea towel and use paper towels to pat dry. Use at least 3 paper towels at a time so they do not stick. Once turkey is completely dry, salt and pepper both sides of the turkey. Next rub the herb butter all over the turkey on both sides ( I use all the butter). Place turkey breast side op on tea towel and lightly press stuffing in (Use any recipe you'd like). Once Turkey has been stuffed add 1 1/2 cups of water to the bottom of your roasting pan. Next Gently lift the turkey into the roasting pan breast up. Cover stuffing only with a small piece of foil to prevent it from burning. Cook turkey at 425 degrees for 40 minutes and turn oven temperature down to 250 degrees (keep turkey in the oven while waiting for the oven to reduce to 250 degrees) Once oven has reached 250 degrees pull turkey out and add 1 1/2 cups Holland House White Cooking Wine all around the bottom of the roasting pan. Place turkey back in the oven and set timer for 5 hours. You will have to check the turkey in between for broth. I like mine to be half full with broth, so anytime it gets higher than half full I take out the extra broth and put in a separate bowl, let cool and refrigerate to use later for gravy. Once the 5 hours are up it is time to add the bacon. To do this I place the uncooked bacon on a paper plate that has been lined with paper towels, make sure the bacon is flat. Continue to alternate bacon and paper towels until the whole pound of bacon has been prepped on the plate to microwave. Microwave for 1-2 minutes. This will reduce the amount of grease that will drip off the turkey into the broth. Line the turkey with the bacon. Place turkey back into the oven and cook for an additional 3 hours or until turkey has reached a temperature of 170 degrees F. or 77 degrees C. Let turkey rest for 15-20 minutes before carving. Cover with foil until time to carve.
Herb Butter Recipe:
Ingredients:
2 sticks of butter (soften but not melted)
2 cloves of garlic (pealed )
1 Tbsp. fresh parsley (minced)
In a mixing bowl, using a garlic press, press garlic into butter. Add parsley and use a fork to mix everything well.
